Lacosamide is marketed under the trade name Vimpat®. Lacosamide is chemically 2(R)-acetamido-N-benzyl-3-methoxypropionamide and has the structural Formula (I).

U.S. Pat. No. 5,654,301 discloses certain compounds which are amino acid derivatives and includes lacosamide. Various synthetic schemes for the preparation of these derivatives are disclosed.
Lacosamide and its methods of preparation are disclosed in U.S. Reissue Pat. No. RE 38,551. The patent provides three general methods for the preparation of lacosamide. The first two methods do not involve the protection of active groups in intermediate compounds (such as amino, hydroxy and carboxylic acid groups). The other method disclosed in this patent involves protection of an amino group present in D-serine with carbobenzoxy chloride (Cbz-Cl), subsequent O-methylation at the hydroxy group followed by amidation at carboxylic (—COOH) acid with benzylamine and finally removal of the ‘Cbz’ group followed by acetylation, to produce lacosamide.
An alternative method for the preparation of lacosamide is disclosed in International (PCT) Publication No. WO 2006/037574 that involves O-methylation of N-Boc-protected-D-serine (“Boc” refers to t-butoxycarbonyl) directly in one step by avoiding simultaneous formation of the methyl ester moiety.
US 20090143472 disclose certain intermediates and methods of preparation of lacosamide using the intermediates. The process of preparation of lacosamide involves O-methylation of the intermediate, benzyl amine amidation, detritylation and finally acetylation to yield lacosamide. Another method disclosed involves first benzyl amine amidation of the intermediate, and then O-methylation, subsequently followed by detritylation and finally acetylation.
WO2010052011 discloses the resolution of 2-acetamido-N-benzyl-3-methoxypropionamide using chiral chromatography.
In view of the preparation methods available for lacosamide, there is a need for simple and cost effective processes for the preparation of lacosamide that provides improved efficiency per reaction volume in terms of yield, and purity, both chemical and chiral.